According to Twilight, the griffon kingdom has a rich history centered around an ancient treasure called the Idol of Boreas. She expresses disappointment that the map is not summoning her to Griffonstone, but she is confident that Pinkie and Rainbow can solve whatever problem the kingdom has on their own.

Kingdom of griffons

We meet again.

After a train ride on the Friendship Express, Rainbow and Pinkie climb the mountains to Griffonstone, following a written guide that Twilight gave them. Upon arriving, they find the supposedly majestic kingdom to be a small, shabby-looking town with impolite citizens. They encounter Gilda, who still bears a grudge toward them, and the elderly griffon Grampa Gruff.

Grampa Gruff explains—for a few bits—that Griffonstone was once a grand city of proud and united griffons thanks to the Idol of Boreas. But sometime during the reign of its most recent king, a monster named Arimaspi attacked and stole the idol. The idol was eventually lost when Arimaspi fell into the Abysmal Abyss, and Griffonstone fell into a state of misery.

Rainbow Dash believes that she and Pinkie were sent to Griffonstone to find the Idol of Boreas and restore the kingdom's pride and glory. Despite Gilda's indifference about the idol, Pinkie goes to the Griffonstone library while Rainbow plans an expedition into the Abysmal Abyss.

Diverging ideas

While Pinkie helps Gilda bake...

As Rainbow Dash is forced to deal with money-hungry griffons, Pinkie Pie finds the library to be just as much a shambles as the rest of the city. She chats with a very embittered Gilda and discovers, to her dismay, that the kingdom doesn't have singing, a party store, or a bakery. All it has is griffon scones, which Gilda sells to make a living, but they taste terrible, so Pinkie offers her services.

When the distracting smell of their baking causes a griffon named Greta to fall out of the sky, Gilda helps her up. Pinkie Pie notices this and sees a good side in Gilda, but Gilda insists that no one is friends in Griffonstone. As she laments having had a friend once, Pinkie remembers Rainbow Dash and goes looking for her.

...Rainbow goes abyss diving.

Meanwhile, as Rainbow goes spelunking into the Abysmal Abyss, her rope snaps, stranding her on an Abyss ledge with a sprained hoof. Unable to fly out because of the harsh ravine winds and out of bits to pay her griffon guide for assistance, Rainbow cries out for help. Pinkie soon hears her calling out and goes back to town to get help from Gilda.

Remembering friendship

Junior Speedsters are our lives.

As Gilda continues to bake, Pinkie Pie comes to her for help in rescuing Rainbow Dash. Gilda is uninterested in the woes of a former friend, but Pinkie tells her to remember a time when the two were friends.

Gilda recalls her first day at Junior Speedsters flight camp as a shy griffon fledgling. As Hoops, "Dumb-Bell", and "Score" make fun of her for not flying, a filly Rainbow Dash appears to stick up for her. Through their mutual love of flying, Rainbow and Gilda become close friends. Back in present day, a tearful Gilda reluctantly agrees to help.

Sacrifice brings enemies together as friends.

Gilda and Pinkie arrive at the Abyss and climb down to Rainbow's rescue. When Rainbow's ledge breaks and she falls deeper into the Abyss, Pinkie nosedives to save her, inadvertently dragging Gilda along. Pinkie grabs Rainbow, and Gilda grabs another ledge as they dangle from the rope. On a ledge next to hers, Gilda finds the long lost Idol of Boreas. She reaches out to grab it, but Pinkie is slowly losing her grip on Rainbow. Just before the ponies go plummeting, Gilda pulls them up to safety, sacrificing the idol to the Abysmal Abyss.

"You're more important to me than some dumb chunk of gold."

— Gilda

Epilogue

Gilda apologizes to Rainbow and Pinkie for the way she'd treated them. While Rainbow accepts the apology, she laments that Griffonstone will never be restored without the Idol of Boreas. However, Pinkie believes they were sent to Griffonstone not to recover the idol but to replace it with something better: friendship. With friendship, the kingdom could be made grander than before.

Gilda, the friendship ambassador of Griffonstone.

Pinkie and Rainbow encourage Gilda to befriend Greta by offering some freshly-baked griffon scones, which appears to go well. When Pinkie and Rainbow's cutie marks start glowing, they realize their job in Griffonstone has been accomplished. They entrust Gilda with spreading friendship around the kingdom, and Rainbow assures Gilda that they'll visit again soon.

Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash set off for home, with Pinkie wondering how Gummy is coming along with the baking. The episode ends with Gummy in the same motionless position as when Pinkie had left him.

Quotes

Pinkie Pie: Why don't you just come with us? I mean, you are the Princess of Friendship.

Twilight Sparkle: No, no, if the map wanted me to go to the coolest kingdom in all of Equestria and tour the palace and see the actual idol that unites an entire species, which would be super amazing, I'm sure it would've said so.

Pinkie Pie: Watcha reading, Rainbow?

Rainbow Dash: [sighs] Twilight literally wrote a book on what we need to do in Griffonstone.

Pinkie Pie: You mean like a guide on how to figure out what problem we're supposed to fix?

Rainbow Dash: And then some. It's like Twilight herself in book form. [imitating Twilight] 'Always carry plenty of bits. The griffons are sure to help you as long as you share the wealth.'

Rainbow Dash: Hello, Gilda.

Gilda: Dash.

Pinkie Pie: Pinkie!

Pinkie Pie: [to statue] It's sad what happened to your town, King, but Rainbow Dash can't be right! This can't all be because of a missing hunk of gold. [as King Grover] You are right, Pinkie! And you've got amazing hair! [normal] Oh King Grover, you old charmer!

Pinkie Pie: [gasps] I know what Griffonstone needs!

Gilda: Fewer ponies?

Pinkie Pie: A song! I've got a super song about smiling that sure to make even the most grumpy griffon grin! [inhales]

Gilda: Can't sing here!

Pinkie Pie: But- how do you break into uplifting musical numbers with no singing?

Pinkie Pie: [in distance] There you are! Forget about finding the idol, I figured out how to solve Griffonstone's real problem! Scones!

Pinkie Pie: Don't go anywhere!

Rainbow Dash: [sighs] Where does she think I'm gonna go?

[rock crumbles]

Rainbow Dash: [panicked noises] I hope I don't go anywhere!

Gilda: Fine, I'll help her. But that doesn't make me her friend.

Pinkie Pie: Duly noted. [to the audience] Except it does!

Gilda: Hang on, loser! I'm coming!

Rainbow Dash: What took you so long, doofus?!

Gilda: Nothing's better than gold to a griffon.

Pinkie Pie: That's because you don't have friendship! If you can learn to care about each other again, Griffonstone could be a mightier kingdom than it ever was before! And you don't need some golden idol to do that. You just need each other.